Empties: summer 2012. Part 2

Now when the summer is really-really over and done with in Northern hemisphere and autumn has arrived, it's high time to do part with my summer empties. Here's the second part I promised a while ago (see the first part here). BTW, I've been suffering from the first true cold of this autumn for the whole weekend: slurping down some spicy chicken soup, while trying to stay warm and covered :(

OK, down to business, let's get this one done, so I could concentrate on better news next week.

• Purexin Garlic shampoo. We brought this from Turkey last spring. My hubby used up the most of it, but I did get a few tries. My frequent readers must know my love for kitchen-related beauty stuff by now :) It was a fairly decent shampoo (no actual garlic smell whatsoever!), but obscenely expensive and no need to mention, hard almost impossible to buy in Estonia. Since I have no special memories of it, no repurchase. (I used a lot of 'no'-s in these last sentences. Umm... the point remains the same, but I must contain myself, otherwise my reviews are going to be a lot like something you can read from certain books beginning with the word  'Fifty'). 
• Tigi Love Peace & The Planer Eco Awesome Shampoo and Conditioner. Whoa! These have been my greatest love in hair cleaning & conditioning since I laid my eyes on them. They totally deserve a review of their own! I've purchased these again in bigger sizes already and they are being loved by our whole family. Let's just say these are pure goodness in bottles. Don't remember the excact prices, but if you are familiar with Tigi range, then you'll know they're not the cheapest ones around, but not the most priciest either. 

• Avon  Senses Waterfall Shower Gel. I loved this too! Avon Senses is a nice range of shower gels, you've probably seen some of them here before. I love them for their smell, but must mention they're rather thin & watery, therefore go fast. I loved Waterfall for it's turquoise colour and great unisex smell of fresh waters. Paid 3.90 euros for it and shall probably repurchase. 
• Lancome Aroma Tonic Body Lotion. Another great love of mine!  I loved-loved-loved the scent of it! I've been saving it a while, using only a little at a time. To my knowledge, it's discontinued by now, so no hope for a repurchase. It's gone and dearly missed by me. If i could repurchase, I would.

• Australian Gold Intimidation solarium cream. Yep, I do visit tanning booth's from time to time, because a person needs a break from endless rains from time to time. I loved the cooling effect of this cream. The tube was huge, took a while to use up, but it was all good. 
• Sally Hansen Airbrush Sun self tanner. I got this as a GWP and totally hated it! The smell was obnoxious and application very patchy. And don't even get me started on the orangey skin tone and damage to the ozone layers it left behind! 
• Lush Cupcake Fresh Face mask. Not my first one of these, see review here.
• Lumene Arctic Aqua 24h Balancing Moisturiser. I was on the fence with this. I mean, I totally love Lumene and I like light face moisturisers, but this one was a brat. It completely sunk in to my skin, but after a few hours my face turned really oily & shiny, especially if I used some foundation on top. I liked it's slightly marine smell, but I can't give top grades on moisturising... I think there are better ones out there (this is my politically correct comment if I don't want to say that I'm outright disappointed with something). 

• Ambray Nail Polish Remover and Avon Individual Blue Ladies Scent. These are the beauty school drop outs this time. The nail polish remover didn't remove much, so it was gone in a jiffy, but Individual Blue was totally another matter. In spite of being a popular ladies scent, I hated it, so I mostly used it to scare off my evil cat from biting my shins at nighttime and to freshen the toilet. Glad they're both gone! 

After staying on the empties project for about 9 months now, I noticed today some more unexpected free space in my bathroom cabinet. Yay! On that happy note, over and out.

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Järjekordne osa tühjade potsikute projektist. Heas mõttes on kõige märkimisväärsemad on Tigi Eco Awesome shampoon ja palsam, millest ehk kunagi jõuan põhjalikumalt kirjutada, ja Lancome kehakreem, mida ma väga armastasin, kuid paraku sai seegi lõpuks otsa. Nüüd lähen voodisse oma nohust nina nuuskama ja loodan, et selle sügise esimene külmetushaigus jääb ka viimaseks. Loota ju ikka võib, eks?

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull

Neal's Yard Remedies Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisture face cream review

I have a confession to make -- face moisturisers are my least favourite beauty products. Why? Because finding a good one is like Indiana Jones'es quest for the Holy Grail for me: one minute I'll think I've found it, the next everything starts to collapse. It's nearly possible, but still not quite possible. I have fairly oily combination skin that can turn very greasy and shiny one minute and be quite dry the next. My skin needs just the right amount of moisturising to keep it matte and in good condition. So go figure.

I have never been a fan of organic face moisturisers, because I've always thought of these as very greasy and suitable for dryer skintypes only. Neal's Yard Remedies Rehydrating Rose one has been a head turner for me, though I was quite skeptical at first.

It's a basic moisturiser that promises to nurture & replenish normal skin and keep it in balance. I feel like it has been tailor made for my skin. Rehydrating Rose has just the right amount of moisture in it, it has very light texture, but keeps my skin hydrated enough and MATTE for all day long. It's great under makeup (I use it mainly as a day cream), but in case of need it operates as a night cream too. Just perfect! 

I'm also a great fan of it's scent. I can't quite put my finger on it what it smells like, but if you're ever received an aromatherapeutic massage, that's what it reminds me of most. Must be a mixture of Damask roses, calendula, citrus, ylang-ylang and some other scents: crisp, oriental and refreshing at the same time. 

I had never heard of Neal's Yard Remedies before, turns out it's British award winning organic cosmetics company. Founded in 1981, it's one of the pioneers of organic cosmetics with holistic approach, "driven by the passionate belief that health and beauty should be more natural, less synthetic. This passion, and our firm belief that it's down to all of us to protect our precious planet, is at the heart of everything we do." Or so they state on their website.

I got this cream as a magazine freebie in spring while I was at Great Britain. I don't remember which magazine, I believe it was Marie Claire or Glamour. Neal's Yard products are fairly expensive, so I'm very happy to have got this one for free. I've taken it along many times while travelling ever since, see  here how it fits into my travel beauty bag and what else is in there.

If you're interested, Neal's Yard Remedies Rehydrating Rose is readily available from eBay (you'll have to beat me in buying one as I soon need another one!). Or you can get one from their website for GBP 12 (around 15 euros).

Have you ever tried anything from Neal's Yard Remedies? What are your impressions?

Yours Truly,
Tolmu Rull

 
For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Sain Neal's Yard Remedies näokreemi tasuta koos mingi Inglismaalt ostetud naisteajakirjaga. Enne polnud ma sellest firmast kuulnudki, aga kuna kavatsesin ajakirja niikuinii osta, siis proovisin kohe ka tasuta kreemi ära ja oli see vast üks väärt leid! 

Neal's Yardi roosiga niisutaja hoiab mu küllaltki rasust seganahka mõnusalt niisutatu ja matina ning toimib nii päeva- kui öökreemina. Lisaboonuseks mõnusalt aroomiteraapiline lõhn, mis kestab tunnikest-paar ja on suurepärane hommikune ärataja. Looduslik koostis on ka hea omadus, käsi südmel, ma poleks looduskosmeetika kreemidelt midagi nii head oodanudki. 

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull

Empties: summer 2012. Part 1

According to the weather, summer seems to be officially over for Estonia, so it's time to see what I've used up. This will be in two parts, the other coming up someday in September. Apparently I've needed lots and lots of products this summer. I'm simply too lazy to do the empties thing monthly:)

Here are my usual mini-reviews and product recommendations.

• Garnier Invisimineral deodorant. It had nice fresh scent, fighted the odour quite ok, but didn't fulfill it's promise not to leave white marks. Price: 2-3 euros, no repurchase.
• Garnier Bodytonic Slimming and Reshaping gel. A nice refreshing gel with a minty feel. I didn't notice any slimming or reshaping results though, but I used it only 2-3 times a week after gym. Maybe the results would be great if used twice a day daily? Don't know, but it sure sinks in fast and isn't sticky. Price: probably around 10 euros, no repurchase.
• Garnier Color Naturals Hair Colour. It's my holy grail DIY hair colour! The blonde shades (I've tried different blondes) are excellent for me, it is so cheap and easy to use and it makes my hair soft like no other haircolour. I'd say the results beat going to the hairdressers' for colour! Price: 2 euros (on sale), will definitely repurchase.

• Lumene Natural Code Face Wash & Toner. I loved these! Despite their skin purifying properties they didn't dry my skin out too much, but helped to keep it fresh and more matte. And they were very reasonably priced too. I would like to buy again, but unfortunately Lumene has changed their Natural Code line and these are no longer available. Certainly, a bit of a loss for me. Price: 6-7 euros each.

• ByPhasse Make-up remover wipes for sensitive skins and mature skins. I didn't notice much difference between the two varieties, but for some reason liked the sensitive skins version a bit more. Both were very soft, quite big and wet and removed make-up well for a wet wipe. I think at 2 euros a pack they were value for money and I will probably repurchase if I ever see them discounted again.

• The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel. This had the total goodness of all The Body Shop shower gels! It smelled and looked yummy and had produced lots and lots of lather, so not much was needed. That's why it lasted for ages and ages and I grew a bit tired of it at the end. But that is rather a virtue than a vice, isn't it? I shall not repurchase Pink Grapefruit, but I shall certainly try other shower gels from The Body Shop. Price: 7 euros for 250 ml.
• Lush It's Raining Men Honey Rich Shower Gel for body and hair. This was one of the very few 2in1 shower products that actually worked well for hair too and didn't dry they out too much. It actually gave my hair some bounce and made them smooth! I also liked the mild honey scent and like The Body Shop one, it also lasted for ages. Extra points for the witty name! I shall probably buy it again in smaller travel size bottles as this is perfect for travelling and taking to the gym. Price: 11.65 euros for 250 ml.
• Freeman Bare Foot Iced Teaberry and Mint Foot Scrub. This foot scrub had somewhat larger and harsher scrubbing particles than most of other foot scrubs usually do. It was quite refreshing to use and scrubbed really well, so I'd recommend it over others if your feet need a good scrub. Myself, no repurchase, because I can do very well with my usual shower scrub and don't need an extra for my feet. Don't remember the price, but Freeman products are generally not expensive.

• Avon Anew Rejuvenate 24 hour eye cream day & night. Two eye creams in one pot! I liked this one so much it deserves a separate review. I shall add a link if I complete it. A repurchase already made! Around 10 euros from Avon brochure.
• Garnier Pure Active Roll-On. A lot of Garnier products here today :) Shaped exactly like Garnier undereye concealer (review here), this zit-killer knows it's job well. It really works on even the most painful of blemishes and helps them heal faster. On the downside it the fact that it leaves a bit of a sticky film on the skin, so it can't be used under or over makeup as it promises. I don't remember the price and will be on the lookout for a better one.
• Phytomer OligoPur Shine Control Moisturizing Fluid. Oh dear, I passionately hated this and regretted bitterly getting the bigger salon-size version! First, it didn't mattify, it made my face appear more shiny and sticky. Then, it didn't hydrate at all, my skin was still itchy after using it. To top it all off, it behaved impossibly under make-up, rolling off whenever I tried to use my foundation. Oh, and let's not forget it was expensive too: around 30 euros for 50 ml, but mine was 100 ml! I was desperately waiting for it to be empty, but I should have thrown this crap out a long ago. Absolutely no repurchase whatsoever.

• Lumene Eyebrow wax. Finally some empty make-up items in my empties project! This wax is also a Holy Grail product of mine, that totally deserves a review of it's own. Price: around 8 euros, definite repurchase.
• L'Oreal Glam Shine Juice lipgloss. A good nude coloured non-sticky lipgloss. Nice, but not so special. No repurchase.

• Dermoshop Cuticle Cream and Yves Rocher Coleurs Nature 8h Eyeshadow Duo. Neither were empty, but these simply didn't perform well, so I decided to throw them out. Simple as that.

• Just some random hotel shampoos and travel sized bottles, used up mostly at the gym.

That's all this time. Great success! It's a real relief to throw all these empty pots and tubes out, although several of them have become my favourites and already are or will soon be replaced.

Yours Truly,

Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Palun, siin on sel suvel tühjaks tarvitatud potsikud ja tuubid! Neid on hästi palju, sest mitmed pikalt-pikalt kasutatud asjad olid lõpukorral. Soovitada julgen Garnier Color Naturals juuksevärvi, The Body Shopi ja Lushi dushigeele, Freemani jalakoorijat ja Avoni kaheosalist 24-tunni silmakreemi. Lõpuks ometi said otsa ka mõned meigiasjad, neist soovitan Lumene kulmuvaha. Kauge kaarega tuleks mööda käia Phytomeri OligoPur näokreemist. 

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull

Small Summery Lumene Haul

As I've probably mentioned before, Lumene is one of my favourite companies when it comes to skincare.

The three things I like most about Lumene, is that their products are relatively natural, have worked well for me in most cases and are very reasonably priced. Even better, they have regular discount campaigns, when you get 20-25 % off and sometimes a free gift with purchase. Yay!

I also like that they launch new products regularly or reformulate the old ones, usually making them better. Oh, I have so much great things to say about Lumene, must save some of it for next posts!

Lumene Vitamin C+ Radiance Nectar is my all-time favourite facial serum, I could say, a HG item. It's my 4th or 5th repurchase and that says something. I shall do a more in-depth review of it, I just say right now I like it a lot. I paid 13.24 euros for it with 20 % off.

Arctic Aqua 2 in 1 Skin-Perfecting Moisture Booster is a new addition to Lumene Arctic Aqua line. It is also used as a serum before face cream. I think it might be a nice hydrating gel for oiler skin types for summer. It's my first time purchase, so I'm not really sure what I think about it yet. I paid 11.12 euros for it with 20 % off. 

Finally, Berry Refresh is a new body care line from Lumene based on Finnish berries. This line is so new it's not on Lumene international web site yet, but you can see it on Finnish site here. I got this body moisturiser for free because my Lumene purchase was over 20 euros (around 25 USD). I already like it a lot, because it has the same great cloudberry scent as Vitamin C+ Radiance Nectar, contains over 90 % natural ingredients, is paraben-free, as most of Lumene products and sinks in very fast. I'm very eager to try other products from Berry Refresh line too.

Lumene products are widely acessible in Estonia & the Baltics and of course Finland where the company originates from. They are also present in USA and Russia (for all locations, check here).

I bought mine from Tallinna Kaubamaja at the end of May. Currently, Lumene products are 25 % off at Rosalind stores in Estonia.

Have you tried anything from Lumene? If not, would you like to?

Yours Truly,
Tolmu Rull

 
For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Lumene nahahooldustooted on mu suured lemmikud, ikka ja jälle satun neilt üht-teist soetama. Mai lõpus jõudsid ostukorvi minu kõigi aegade lemmikseerum Vitamin C+ Radiance Nectar, mida olen ostnud juba 4-5 korda. See ütleb nii mõndagi, eks.

Et üle 20-eurose ostuga sai Kaubamajast kaasa tasuta uue Berry Refresh-sarja murakalõhnalise kehakreemi, valisin lisaks seerumile välja ka Arctic Aqua 2 in 1 Skin-Perfecting Moisture Booster'i. See on kerge geel, mida soovitatakse kasutada naha niisutamiseks kreemi all, mina loodan, et minu rasusevõitu nahal töötab see suviselt kerge niisutajana kreemi asemel. Täpsemaid muljeid veel ei jaga :)

Kingituseks saadud muraka-kehakreem on küll väga mõnus ja kiiresti imenduv.

Muuseas, praegu on Rosalinnu poodides Lumene toodetel 25 % soodustust.

Siiralt teie,
Tolmu Rull